Zoot Money has left the stage. And our world is a sadder place without the man who brought such fun, laughter and soulful music in his wake for so many happy years.
Photograph Peter Clark
George Bruno Money who has died aged 82 was a charismatic personality, soulful singer and excellent Hammond organist. Famed for his role as the founder and leader of the legendary Big Roll Band, he was much loved by the Mods who flocked to their shows at London clubs like The Flamingo and Klooks Kleek. The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Animals were among his greatest fans.
George was born in Bournemouth on July 17, 1942 to Oscar and Mary Money, both Italian immigrants. His close friend and singer Maggie Bell recalls that George’s father was born in Genoa. “He had three sisters and two brothers. When the family moved from Italy, Zoot’s mother Mary went New York first before moving to England. She later ended up living in Hull with her daughter but Oscar worked as a head waiter in Bournemouth and lived in nearby Christ Church.”
Growing up young George wasn’t allowed to speak Italian because his parents insisted he spoke only English. While attending Porchester School in Bournemouth he learned to play piano, french horn and sang in the choir.
However, it wasn’t long before he discovered rock’n’roll, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles and began singing and playing in local clubs. His stage name was inspired by the American jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims.
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
The first Big Roll Band formed in 1961 and the original line up included Roger Collis (guitar) and Kevin Drake (saxophone) but by 1963 the Big Rollers featured Andy Summers (guitar), Nick Newall (saxophone) with Colin Allen on drums. The leader also switched from piano to the funkier sounding Hammond organ. When spotted by Alexis Korner’s manager, Zoot was invited to play with Alexis in his pioneering R&B group Blues Incorporated and he moved to London. The Big Rollers rejoined him and began to play regularly at the Flamingo where they replaced Georgie Fame & The Blues Flames as the house band in 1964.
Andy Summers who later found fame with The Police recalls: “It was only Zoot and I at the beginning when we started the Big Roll Band. Fraught with unemployment and hunger we were living on borrowed time and the dole queue. But when we replaced Georgie Fame at the Flamingo we were ecstatic.”
The Rollers with new member Paul Williams (vocals, bass guitar) began touring extensively and released debut single ‘The Uncle Willie’ followed by the albums ‘It Should’ve Been Me’ (1965) and ‘Zoot!’(1966).
On stage they would play a popular James Brown medley. Zoot recalled: “The Flamingo was a really groovy place in a basement with a low ceiling. We loved playing to Black American service men that came to the club and were familiar with the soul and R&B music we trying to play. For them it was like being at home. We also backed visiting American blues men like John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson. They were surprised we were so good!”
Another black American former serviceman and musician who visited Zoot Money was the young Jimi Hendrix who arrived at Zoot’s house in Fulham in September 1966 escorted by his British manager Chas Chandler, formerly of the Animals. Zoot had an Italian made acoustic guitar lying around which Jimi instantly picked up and played on his first day in London.
As well as the Flamingo, The Big Rollers packed out Klooks Kleek in West Hampstead where they recorded live album ‘Zoot!’ in May 1966. The leader loved entertaining fans with extrovert showmanship, pulling the shoes off fans while singing ‘Barefootin’ and dropping his trousers on stage. But it was difficult to crack the all important U.K Pop Singles charts. Zoot’s only hit record was ‘Big Time Operator’ that got to Number 25 in August 1966.
Nevertheless Zoot was always in the music press gossip columns. One night at the Olympia in Paris the Big Rollers performed their ‘James Brown medley’. It caused a sensation with French fans, but did not go down well with the star of the show – James Brown.
DANTALIAN’S CHARIOT
A year later R&B was on the wane, fashions had changed and the Big Roll Band broke up to be replaced by Dantalian’s Chariot, in tune with the Summer Of Love. A Melody Maker headline in August 1967 proclaimed ‘Zoot drops the trouser dropping – for psychedelia.’
Although tracks like ‘Madman Running Through The Fields’ proved impressive when played live at the Speakeasy Club with a psychedelic light show, it was difficult to maintain and broke up in April 1968.
While Andy Summers headed for the Police, Zoot divided his time with various groups and artists notably Eric Burdon’s New Animals, GRIMMS and with Kevin Coyne and Kevin Ayers.
He also turned to acting and had screen roles in TV shows and films including Breaking Glass (1980), Absolute Beginners (1986 and Mona Lisa (1986). He also developed a career as a record producer and song writer penning ‘It Never Rains But It Pours’ for singer Jimmy Witherspoon. In 2016 he released his final solo album ‘The Book Of Life…I’ve Read It.’
The following year Repertoire Records released ‘Zoot! Big Time Operator’ a celebratory 4 CD box set of live Big Roll Band recordings.
MEMORIES OF ZOOT
Thomas Neelsen MD of Repertoire Records recalls: “I first met Zoot 30 years ago through Tony and Sandra Ashton. (Tony was the keyboard player with Ashton, Gardner & Dyke). They were old friends and so Tony introduced me to Zoot. We have a great photo showing Zoot, Tony and Chris Farlowe on our website.
“Zoot was a musician’s musician. Right from the start when he played at the Flamingo, which was a hangout for all the top notch musicians, they would go and see Zoot Money playing, after their own gigs. I used to listen to his songs like ‘The Uncle Willie’ when I was a kid growing up in Germany. George Bruno Money was of Italian descent so the sun always shone in his heart. You get so much fun and music from Italian guys.
“But it’s funny to think he was an optician by profession. He told me he did an apprenticeship and started working as an optician after leaving school. But his boss fired him because he’d started playing gigs in Bournemouth every night and was always late for work the next morning.
(Image left: Tony Ashton, Chris Farlowe, Zoot Money)
“You can hear on our ‘Zoot!’ box set how well Zoot sang the James Brown songs and Andy Summer’s guitar was really great. He was an excellent rhythm player in the Big Roll Band. Zoot was also such a funny guy – jumping on the piano with his trousers down. I think he got that from Little Richard!
“His death was so sad because he was such a great guy and such a light hearted positive thinking person. Everybody loved him because of that. He was also a fine, musician, singer and a great entertainer and he was successful enough to cheer people up. He was an icon!”
Thomas recalls that Andy Summers remained a close friend over the years. “Andy lives in America but was in contact with Zoot almost every day while he was ill, which shows how close they were. When Zoot was in The Animals the band got a gig opening for the Police in America because of Andy Summer’s friendship with Zoot”.
THE ONE AND ONLY MAN
Zoot married Veronica (Ronni) McCann in 1967. He was devastated by her death from dementia in 2017 and became unwell himself. Maggie Bell: “George had a fall in his back garden and was ill for months as a result. He also had diabetes and was on dialysis treatment three times a day. At first he was in Hammersmith hospital then Charing Cross. His daughter Marisa slept in a chair next to his bed in the hospital for months. He adored her and she adored him. They had a very strong bond”.
Maggie recalls that Zoot never missed a gig in his life. “In fact the only one he ever missed was at the Bulls Head in Barnes with Alan Price three months ago because he wasn’t well enough. Alan went to see him in hospital on Saturday night (September 7th). But he wasn’t responding to anybody by that time and George died shortly after”.
Another friend Tom McGuinness of the Blues Band and the Manfreds says: “Zoot could fill a room just by walking in the door. He had a larger than life personality. A nice bloke, totally without ego and with a great sense of humour. Zoot was such a talented musician I wish he’d had more lucky breaks. He should have been a much bigger star.” CHRIS WELCH
George Bruno ‘Zoot’ Money. Born Bournemouth, England 17 July 1942. Died aged 82 on 8 September, 2024.
